Actions to take if abuse or harm is disclosed, suspected or alleged

In the event of an individual telling you about abuse or harm, or if you believe an individual is being abused or harmed, there are certain actions you should take that will be listed in your organisation’s policies and procedures.

In this section, you will explore general steps to take in each case.

When a worker suspects abuse

If a worker suspects that abuse is going on, or has gone on in the past, they need to:

report the facts immediately to an appropriate person – e.g. a manager or police officer
make notes and written reports about the facts
listen to the individual, but not make judgements
make sure that the individual is in a safe environment until the manager or police officer arrives – maybe leaving them with another staff member

Records of suspicion or allegations of abuse

It does not matter whether the abuse is suspected or alleged; the forms, records and paperwork will be similar. The policies and procedures will show details of what needs to be done, and the care worker will usually be expected to complete the following:

incident report form – a standard form that records what happened, the time and date, who was involved and the location
report book or daily occurrences book – held on the premises to record occurrences and outcomes
witness statement – the care worker’s own statement about what they saw, heard or were told

When the individual alleges they are being abused

If the individual or another person alleges that abuse is taking place, or has taken place, the care worker needs to:

listen without making judgements
report the facts immediately to an appropriate person – e.g. a manager or police officer
make notes and written reports about the facts that have been reported
make sure that the individual is in a safe environment until the manager or police officer arrives – maybe leaving them with another staff member
leave any potential evidence alone and not tamper with it

Preserving evidence

When there is a suspicion or allegation about abuse, it is important to preserve any potential evidence. This will be needed for an investigation and may be used in a court case. Abuse and assaults are crimes, and good quality evidence is needed to help to secure a conviction if the suspicions and allegations are found to be true.

There are various types of evidence:

Direct evidence – this is something that is actually observed by a witness. It can be something that they saw, heard, touched or physically felt – e.g. the individual can give evidence about being hit by their abuser.

Forensic evidence – this is evidence based on something that has been left at the scene of a crime or accident – e.g. blood, hair, saliva, semen or skin cells.
Primary evidence – this may be original documentation or CCTV footage.
Secondary evidence – this could be copies of original documentation – e.g. copies of witness statements or incident reports.
Circumstantial evidence – this is something that indicates that a person might have done the crime – e.g. fingerprints at a scene or cash deposits made into a bank account that cannot be explained.

To preserve different types of evidence, you need to:

reassure the individual who has received the suspected or alleged abuse but not let them wash themselves or any clothing – there may be body fluids, hairs, etc. that may be forensic evidence
close the door and cordon off the area if possible – this stops contamination of the scene and makes it easier to collect and analyse forensic evidence
stop anyone from walking through the area – they may add or remove fibres or fluids and contaminate forensic evidence
stop anyone from cleaning the area
not let anyone other than the police remove anything from the scene
make available any documentation or CCTV footage
ask any witnesses to wait to be interviewed by the police

If the abuse is ongoing, it may not be possible to secure the area or preserve evidence on the person. Care workers should make detailed notes of anything they are told or witness relating to any incidents of abuse as soon as possible so that they can preserve the detail.

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